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Revamped PlayStation Store goes live April 15 [updated]

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Apr 10th 2008 at 9:32AM }

Sony KONPYUTAENTATEINMENTOJAPAN has announced that the revamped PlayStation Store will open its virtual doors on Tuesday, April 15th. Update: SCEA has confirmed that loud-mouthed, spendthrift American PS3s will be allowed to roam the aisles on the same day, as will systems from around the globe.

The store revamp will be facilitated by enhanced firmware (version 2.30) and should mark the return of weekly content updates which have been absent since April 3rd. Once the more user-friendly interface is up and running, PS3 owners will be able to download fun things like Warhawk's Broken Mirror expansion and the 'Still Alive' DLC for Rock Band.

Gallery: PlayStation Store Update Spring '08

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

New PS3 firmware to add Blu-ray Profile 2.0 support

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Mar 20th 2008 at 8:00AM }

Sony has announced that an upcoming PlayStation 3 firmware update will enhance the system's Blu-ray playback capabilities. Tucked into firmware update 2.20 will be support for Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, otherwise labeled as BD-Live. The feature enables certain Blu-ray movies to connect to the internet and enable download additional interactive content -- movie DLC, if you will. Sony notes that the update will make the PlayStation 3 the first BD-Live Blu-ray player on the market. Oh, sorry, the PLAYSTATION 3.

Other enhancements included in firmware 2.20:

Music and photo playlists can be exported from the PS3 to the PSP.
DivX and WMV files larger than 2GB can be played.
DVDs and Blu-rays will resume playback from the moment you last stopped them.
The PSP can be used as a remote control to play music on the PS3.
The web browser will feature faster page loading times and the ability to save linked files and stream linked videos.
"Mosquito Noise Reduction" will be added to the AV control panel for Blu-rays and DVDs.

The update will make its way onto the PlayStation Network "in the next few days."

PS3 firmware 2.17 addresses stability of online titles

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Mar 13th 2008 at 8:30AM }

Before Sony's social media manager, Jeff Rubenstein, came to the rescue via an informative blog post, our research had concluded that the latest PlayStation 3 firmware update implements the following changes:

Cell division by zero no longer possible
Cross media bar lightened up, no longer cross
Fun patch applied to "Go! Sky Diving"
Triceratops tranquilized
Placebo.exe installed for faster load times

Unfortunately, it seems our analysis was wholly inaccurate, as Rubenstein explained that Firmware 2.17 merely improves "the operating stability of some online PS3 titles." You'll be prompted to download the update the next time you sign on to the PlayStation Network.

Surprise! Latest PS3 firmware adds sexy spaceborne music visualizer

by Jason Dobson { Dec 26th 2007 at 1:01PM }

Sure, you may be well aware of the fact that last week's 2.1 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 gifted the console with support for the ubiquitous DivX video codec, but did you also know that nestled deep within the update was a new space-faring music visualizer? Seen in motion through the magic of YouTube, it's an incredibly nifty way to relax to those newly unwrapped CDs, but it also makes us wax nostalgic and wonder whatever happened to those grade school dreams of becoming astronauts when we grew up.

The new tool was created by Q-Games, who developed the terrifically fun PSN downloadable PixelJunk Racers, and the studios' PR manager Duncan Flett tells Gamasutra that the project went through a number of changes prior to release, including an initial stint as the boot sequence for Sony's console. Also interesting is that the visualizer uses texture data lifted from the NASA Blue Marble project, making this one of the neatest uses of science since the application of baking soda to vinegar.

Full disclosure: This writer did, in fact, pen stories for Gamasutra in a previous life before his current tour of duty on board the starship Joystiq.

[Via Gamasutra]

Folding@Home gets update, new features

by Justin McElroy { Dec 19th 2007 at 9:59AM }

Thanks to titles like Ratchet and Clank and Uncharted there are finally better games on the PS3 than Folding@Home (or Grand Theft Protein as we call it in these parts). Not willing to go down without a fight though, the scientific application recently got even more entertaining thanks to a new update bundled with yesterday's 2.10 PS3 firmware.

First off is the ability to set a shutoff timer for the program, perfect for when you want to help cure cancer, just not all night. Also included is the much more exciting option to play background music while the aforementioned proteins are being folded. (If we may be so bold, a little candlelight, a little Lou Rawls and a little protein folding is a volitale recipe for late night romance.)

New PSP, PS3 firmware goes live

by Justin McElroy { Dec 18th 2007 at 9:00AM }

OK, Mr. Big Shot, so you already knew about the new, DivX-sporting PS3 firmware 2.1 going live today. But that's only because you read Joystiq. Never forget: We gave you that knowledge, and we can take it away. ... OK, so we can't do that. But we're working on it.

Perhaps a little more of a surprise for fans of Sony's small screen is the news that PSP firmware 3.80 has also appeared for you to download and enjoy. Most significant in this update is the new Internet Radio feature, which Sony says provides access to thousands of stations. The set-up instructions are pretty specific though, you can check them out after the jump.

Read - PSP Firmware 3.80 is live
Read - Firmware update (v2.10)

Continued →

PS3 firmware 2.10 coming tomorrow, features DivX support

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Dec 17th 2007 at 12:10PM }

Still no in-game XMB news now, with the UK's PlayStation website spilling the bytes on a new PlayStation 3 firmware update. Scheduled for release on December 18th (we're confirming the date with SCEA), Firmware 2.10 joins the Xbox 360's Fall dashboard update in offering support for the pervasive DivX video codec. There are some caveats, however, as files that are copyright-protected, encoded with DivX 3.11 or larger than 2GB in size are not supported.

Also added by the update is support for VC-1 (WMV) playback, Type 3 music bitmapping, Blu-ray Profile 1.1 and a "Voice Changer." You know, in case you thought your normal voice wasn't obnoxious enough in the hushed library that is the PS3's online scene.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

XMB who? Custom soundtracks, friend lists spotted in PS3 games

by Christopher Grant { Dec 7th 2007 at 12:59PM }

With the long-overdue in-game XMB still a no-show as of last month's 2.00 PS3 firmware update, we were about to resign ourselves to a future that entailed exiting out of games to read messages and getting up to change the channels. Yeah, barbaric. But perhaps we're being a little too fatalistic. Included in yesterday's PSN Thursday update were some special treats: notably a custom soundtrack option in High Velocity Bowling that looks very XMB-ish, along with an in-game friends list for the Timeshift demo, available from the multiplayer screen, which also has that XMB look 'n feel.

So if we've got some of the most requested features being added straight to games, emulating the look and feel of the XMB interface, what do we need an in-game XMB for then? Maybe nothing, but we worry that if developers become responsible for implementing this functionality instead of it being a system constant, that we'll see an inconsistent experience across whichever games decide to add it. While we're not quite bowled over, it's a step in the right direction.

[Thanks, Justin]

PS3 firmware 2.0 is now live

by Ross Miller { Nov 8th 2007 at 12:22AM }

The latest PlayStation 3 firmware update, version 2.0, has now gone live. And now that we've crossed a new, whole-number threshold, we eagerly await PS3 firmware update 2-point-whatever. In case you're hesitant to upgrade your system, check out the list of features and enjoy pictures of the upgrade below.

Gallery: PS3 Firmware 2.00

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

PS3 FW 2.00 in pictures

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 7th 2007 at 11:45AM }

Earlier this week, PS3 Fanboy was offered exclusive firmware 2.00 details to be revealed later today, but due to a miscommunication between SCEA and SCEE that arrangement was compromised -- and confusion ensued. Thankfully, it's all been sorted out, and we're pleased to bring you (via PS3FB) the first images of PlayStation 3 firmware 2.00. (The full details of the update can be found here.)

Gallery: PS3 Firmware 2.00

PS3 firmware 2.00 tomorrow, full details today

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 7th 2007 at 10:28AM }

PlayStation 3 2.00. Mythic sounding, ain't it? Oh, how we've pined for the promise of this transformation. Never mind that Xbox 360 has the games and Wii has the demand. This holiday, PS3 has the update -- and it's available tomorrow.

Now for the bads news: The update, well, it's, um, it's ... (how to put this?) ... ~~it's lame~~ it's not gonna 'un-lame' your crippled PS3. What, you cry, but it was supposed to trump the Halo 3s, the Mass Effects -- the best Mario game in more than a decade! We know. Sorry, folks. At least you can finally use your Canon printers. At least, firmware 2.00 is free.

Continued →

PSN EULA update not affiliated with firmware upgrade

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 15th 2007 at 5:27PM }

We hate to bring the internet's game of conclusion hopscotch to an end, but the rain of truth threatens to wash those chalk outlines away and... we're not really sure what we thinking with that opening. Regardless, a Sony representative has told us that, despite internet murmurs latching onto the "Version 2.0" nomenclature, the recent update to the PSN End User License Agreement has no "bearing or affiliation with any future firmware upgrades." If the fabled Firmware 2.0 does somehow show up at the end of the month, coincidence will apparently be the one to blame.

Going into effect on October 30th, the updated EULA (probably not pronounced "EWW-LAH") is merely paving the legal way for upcoming PSN functionality, Home features and upcoming games that might tempt players to share online content considered "racially, ethnically, religiously, or sexually offensive, libelous, defaming, threatening, bullying or stalking." In fewer words, anything resembling our frequently terrifying podcast.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

PS3 firmware 1.90 hits Japan, Europe tomorrow, NA "coming soon"

by Christopher Grant { Jul 23rd 2007 at 11:27AM }

Firmware 1.90 is infecting Japanese PS3s as you read this. Symptoms of 1.90 – helpfully deciphered at NeoGAF – include:

XMB backgrounds
Move games in XMB up and down
Eject games, CD's and movies from XMB by pressing triangle, and selecting "Eject Disk"
Force 24Hz output for Blu-ray over HDMI
Change the frequency of music to either 44.1, 88.2, or 176.4 kHz
Change the PS3 video settings in-game
Change the output settings – like the upscaling options and smoothing – while you're playing PS and PS2 games
Bookmark function in the file menu of the web browser

Emoticons and XMB backgrounds all in one day? While that's great for Japanese PS3 owners, ThreeSpeech says the update will be available in Europe tomorrow, SCEA's Patrick Seybold has said we can expect news on the firmware "early [this] week", and PSN's Eric Lampel said the update is "coming soon." We'll be sure to give you a full rundown of the (real) release notes as soon as we find 'em.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

PS3 firmware 1.82 on the way, adds AVC High Profile playback

by Justin McElroy { Jun 27th 2007 at 9:40AM }

Eric Lempel, director of PlayStation Network Operations, posted on the company's official blog that firmware 1.82 would be arriving on the PS3 in the next few days. The update's sole new feature appears to be AVC High Profile (H.264/MPEG-4) files. Now, instead of having to make due with Main Profile AVC, you'll be rocking the Separate Cb and Cr QP control and the 8x8 vs. 4x4 Transform Adaptivity! *drool*

Lempel said that the update doesn't fix the audio problems that some commenters on the blog had complained about, but said that "hopefully this update is moving us closer." In other news that is not of any immediate help to anyone, Lempel says that Sony is "continuing to evaluate and improve things across the board, including PS2 software compatibility." Let's keep our profiles crossed.

PS3 firmware 1.81 update now online

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jun 15th 2007 at 7:55PM }

A minor update to last month's feature-packed firmware 1.80 is now available for the PlayStation 3. The added .01 corrects the error that sees an HDMI color setting reverting each time the system is turned off. It also promises to improve network stability for PlayStation 2 games that support online play.

You should be politely prompted to install the update once you log on to the PlayStation Network. If you'd rather use the bandwidth at the office or just feel more instrumental in your system's enhancement, you can download the firmware file from Sony's official site (this one if your system is European). Don't have too much fun with it, now.